In HTML5, the <nav> element is used for navigation links.
The element semantically identifies a section containing major navigation links, such as a site menu, table of contents, or links between pages in a documentation site. A typical example places an unordered list of <a> elements inside <nav>. Browsers do not automatically create a particular visual design for it; CSS controls its appearance.
The common mix-up is confusing <nav> with <header> or <footer>. A header introduces content and may contain navigation, while a footer provides closing information and may also include secondary links. The <menu> element has a different, more specialized meaning and is not the standard semantic container for ordinary site navigation.
Using <nav> also helps accessibility tools identify navigation landmarks, allowing screen-reader users to move directly among important page regions. HTML5 introduced semantic sectioning elements such as <nav>, <main>, <header>, and <footer> to describe document structure more clearly than generic <div> elements.